Warriors reign in the pouring rain
In the end, not even mother nature could stop the Hawaii offense.
Led by running back Alex Green’s 172 rushing yards and four touchdowns, the Hawaii Warriors (6-2, 3-0 WAC) overwhelmed Utah State (2-5, 0-3 WAC) 45-7 on Saturday, overcoming several mistakes amid windy and rain conditions which drove most of the game’s 17,111 spectators home by halftime.
The rainy conditions – which many fans expected to hinder the high-flying Hawaii passing game – weren’t unexpected. But the Aggies’ performance, highlighted by a second-half collapse, was.
“I’m kind of at a loss for words for it, honestly,” said Utah State tight end Kellen Bartlett following the loss. “You never feel good after a loss, but it’s extremely demoralizing.”
“We played a better team and they went out there and proved that, and they really established it,” Bartlett continued. “Everyone was thinking with the rain and the cold – and here’s Hawaii – that they’re going to play bad because all the weather and stuff.”
The rainy weather, which began early in the second quarter, did little to hinder the Hawaii offense, which racked up 605 total yards during the game. But the Warriors, who came into the game with the nation’s first rated passing attack behind the arm of quarterback Bryant Moniz, proved just as potent on the ground against Utah State. From his first carry of the game to the final whistle, Green proved too tough to tackle and too fast for the Aggie defense.
According to Hawaii head coach Greg McMackin, the emphasis on the running game came from a defensive wrinkle his staff noticed while evaluating film of Utah State’s offense.
“We really wanted to run the ball,” he said. “They were playing a lot of man (coverage) on defense, and twisting their linemen. I was happy to see Alex Green play the way that he did.”
Hawaii got the scoring started in the game, taking an early 7-0 lead with just under five minutes left in the first quarter when Green ran for a two-yard score. Utah State answered early in the second quarter when quarterback Diondre Borel turned a 35-yard speed option play upfield and outran the Hawaii defense. The run put Borel over the 7,000 yard mark for career offensive yards, second only to former Utah State quarterback Jose Fuentes.
Despite tying the game, Borel would go on to play poorly for Utah State, finishing the game a mere 7-23 for 99 yards. He also threw two interceptions, and although he took only one sack, he proved indecisive on designed running plays, finishing the contest with -1 net yards rushing. As an offense, Utah State managed just 181 net yards.
“I have said it before. Diondre Borel is a tremendous player when he has a supporting cast,” Andersen said. “If he does not have that he is just a good player.”
The Aggies were down 14-7 going into the half, relying on two first-half interceptions in their own endzone to prevent what looked to be sure-fire Hawaii scoring drives. Bryant Moniz was picked off on the game’s third offensive play by Aggie defensive back Rajric Coleman, while the Hawaii quarterback threw another interception to cornerback Curtis Marsh in the second quarter.
Hawaii came out with a vengeance in the second half, however, with a veritable offensive typhoon amid the frenzied rainstorm which had gathered over Romney Stadium. The Warrior special teams got the scoring started in the second half when a botched Peter Caldwell punt attempt was recovered in the endzone by Hawaii’s David Graves, and continued when a Corey Paredes interception set up a 36-yard touchdown run from Green.
“We didn’t do well as a defense in the second half,” said Utah State linebacker Bobby Wagner, who finished the game with six tackles. “Our offense wasn’t playing well either. We didn’t come prepared to play the second half tonight.”
Wagner said the Utah State defense didn’t come into the game overlooking Hawaii’s rushing attack. He said it was missed tackles and a waning concentration as the game continued which led to the Aggie defenses’ second-half collapse.
“I think we missed some key tackles,” Wagner said. “Some of the run (Green) had could have easily been tackles for a loss, but we failed to make the tackles. One of our biggest problems on defense is missing tackles. We need to play all four quarters.”
Things would only get more painful for the Aggies in the fourth quarter. With the crowd dwindling to numbers that appeared to be in the hundreds, Hawaii added two more touchdowns in the game’s final quarter, highlighted by an 18-yard touchdown grab by receiver Greg Salas. Salas, who has proven to be one of the most steady and productive wide receivers in all of college football over the last two years, split the Aggie defense and snagged the ball out of the air with a single hand. He finished the game with 158 yards on nine catches.
“He did a great job finding the open areas of the defense,” Wagner said. “the quarterback did a great job of finding him when he was open, and we’ve got to make it harder on them than just playing pass and catch.”
The loss on Saturday puts Utah State’s postseason hopes in serious jeopardy, and given the team’s remaining games against conference foes Boise State, Nevada and Idaho, assures that the Aggies will have to pull off an upset in order to keep their slim bowl hopes alive. The Warriors, meanwhile, have become bowl eligible with their sixth win, and extend their streak to five games with Saturday’s win.
“I know exactly where this program sits, I see it every day,” Andersen said. “These crowds have been great every week. I know we had a big storm today, but I also know football. If you play at a high level (the fans) will be there until the last snap. I know where this program is and one day they will be there until the last snap.”
“They would probably be still be out there right now, but it went a different way for us today,” Andersen added.
Utah State will travel to play Nevada (6-1, 1-1 WAC) Oct. 30 before returning home to take on New Mexico State (1-6, 0-3 WAC) on Nov. 6th.
– adam.nettina@aggiemail.usu.edu